The Sunday Times :
Bangladesh will go to the polls on December 30 for the first fully contested election in ten years says Anne Main, a British Conservative Party lawmaker and chairperson of all-party parliamentary group on Bangladesh. The 2014 vote was marred by controversy and was not contested by the main opposition party,
the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).
The people of Bangladesh deserve an open, free and fair election and the UK government, alongside international partners, must do everything it can to make that a reality.
Corruption continues to be an issue. There is a worrying trend of winning parties taking politically motivated legal actions against those that contested them at previous elections.
The vaguely worded and wide-ranging Digital Security Act, which was recently enacted into law, has the potential to be a big backwards for society in Bangladesh. It gives powers to the state to effectively suppress free speech and political argument.”
“Criminalising speech against the state is a significant threat to a free and fair election at the end of December. The UK and the UN have rightly raised concerns about this piece of legislation and we should not be afraid to continue to do so,” she added.
Bangladesh will go to the polls on December 30 for the first fully contested election in ten years says Anne Main, a British Conservative Party lawmaker and chairperson of all-party parliamentary group on Bangladesh. The 2014 vote was marred by controversy and was not contested by the main opposition party,
the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).
The people of Bangladesh deserve an open, free and fair election and the UK government, alongside international partners, must do everything it can to make that a reality.
Corruption continues to be an issue. There is a worrying trend of winning parties taking politically motivated legal actions against those that contested them at previous elections.
The vaguely worded and wide-ranging Digital Security Act, which was recently enacted into law, has the potential to be a big backwards for society in Bangladesh. It gives powers to the state to effectively suppress free speech and political argument.”
“Criminalising speech against the state is a significant threat to a free and fair election at the end of December. The UK and the UN have rightly raised concerns about this piece of legislation and we should not be afraid to continue to do so,” she added.
